James Baquet

The “Boers” were the descendants of the first European settlers of part of South Africa. The word itself means “farmer,” but has come to signify the Dutch and Afrikaans speakers of that area in the 18th and much of the 19th centuries. (Afrikaans is the “daughter language” of Dutch that developed in that area.) Today these same people may be called Afrikaners.

After a 1795 invasion, the United Kingdom incorporated the area into the British Empire in 1806. But this did not settle things. The Boers objected to British rule, and the British were insistent on expanding their territory.

At last, in 1880, a Boer named Piet Bezuidenhout refused to pay an unfair and illegal tax. His wagon was confiscated by the government, which tried to sell it to cover the taxes owed. But 100 armed Boers interrupted the auction and reclaimed the wagon. Government troops were sent after the rebels, who fired on them, triggering the First Boer War.

War was officially declared Dec. 16 of that year. British garrisons were attacked all over the territory, and a mere 10 weeks later, the poorly-armed Boer militia had fought the red-jacketed (and thus easy to spot) British regulars to a standstill. A truce was declared March 6, 1881, and a peace treaty signed March 23. Self-government was granted, and the British troops withdrew.

However, gold was discovered in the area in 1886, and by 1899, the British government — which had deemed the First Boer War not worth the effort — now determined that it was well worth it after all, and the Second Boer War commenced.

Unlike the first war, this one lasted nearly three years, and the British were ultimately victorious, but only after they instituted harsh measures, such as a “scorched earth” strategy of destroying farms and livestock (since the Boer militia was mainly non-uniformed farmers) and forcing civilians into concentration camps.

With the Boer surrender, the British consolidated their holdings into the Union of South Africa, which remained part of the U.K. until the Statute of Westminster abolished British rule in 1931; the Republic of South Africa became independent of the British Empire in 1961.

Vocabulary:

Which word above means:

1. taken away

2. a stop, a halt

3. prisons for enemies of the state

4. sale to the highest bidder

5. causing

6. children, grandchildren, etc.

7. non-military personnel

8. took back

9. cruel, brutal

10. burned